To The Stars: The Finale
by RaggedyMadMan
Summary: The finale for the Puckentine!Titanic AU.


**a/n:** Hey guys. So, I won't be continuing **"To The Stars" **anymore but I already had the finale on paper so what the hell.

I'm retiring from the Puckentine fandom. Thank you all for all of your kind reviews, it was a lot of fun while it lasted. I might update **"Howl" **from time to time so if you're still interested, that fic will always be there.

I'm still going to be writing, you can find me on my other account: ArryTheOrphanBoy here on FF. Link will be on my profile.

So again, thank you for everything.

* * *

><p>The redhead emerged from the deep, dark ocean, gasping for air and fighting herself to stay afloat. The night was dark and the piercing shrieks of the multitude around filled her with terror.<p>

"Sam?" Cat asked, turning her body around as best as she could to try and find her lover. There was no response, and her heart started racing faster and faster, "Sam?! Sam?!"

No response. Suddenly, a panicked man grabbed her from behind and there was no air in her lungs again. The man brought her back to the surface only to dive her back again into the water. Kicking didn't help her, and she took as much air as she could every time she emerged into the surface.

"Let her go," She heard someone saying. The man refused, but the stranger found a way to release her. By the time the redhead rose back onto the surface, the man was unconscious and floating away on his back.

"Cat," The stranger whispered behind her and made her turn, hope shinning discretely in her eyes.

Hope disappeared instantly.

"Luke?"

"Come with me"

"N-No. Where's Sam?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know? Come with me, now"

"But…But, Sam…"

"Fuck's sake, Cat! Come with me now and you might just find her! You can't fucking find her if you're dead"

Fighting back the tears that were threatening to escape she followed the eldest twin, holding onto the back of his shirt tightly.

_Don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes._

"Here," Luke said, pointing at a floating, wooden door. It was a big wand, probably one from first class, "Get on this"

"What about y-you?"

"I'll fit on there. If I didn't I wouldn't have brought you here. I wouldn't die for you"

_Sam would_, Cat thought bitterly. But when she was on top of the door she realized, Luke was not Sam. And she was sure that if Sam had found Luke instead of her, she would've done the same. Or even worse.

This boy was not going to die for her and she was certain she would not die for him either. It was a fair deal.

As they laid there together, surrounded by the loud, disturbing sound of panicked shrieks and piercing cries, Cat could not prevent some tears to fall down her cheeks. Luke let out a sort of quiet sob, but quickly composed.

"Where is your brother?" Cat asked, trying to distract herself from the incessant screams that surrounded her. When the boy didn't respond she tried to ask again, only to be stopped before the words left her mouth.

"None of your business"

"I'm…I'm sorry. I'm just worried"

"Yes, well. Worry about your own damn problems. About your own damn family, your own damn girlfriend. Not about my brother"

Anger boiled inside the redhead, and she sat up, as straight as the floating object allowed her to, and addressed her fury to the equally infuriated boy, "Do not speak to me in that way"

"I will speak to you in whatever way I _fucking_ want, lady. If it does not please you then you can just get off the damn door and drown like you were doing before I saved you"

"I-I had that situation under control"

"Yes, I could tell"

Defeated, Cat laid back down and closed her eyes. In a weird kind of way, Luke was right. She could start swimming around and look for Sam, but she would never make it too far and there were more than five-hundred people in the water at the moment. She was not going to last enough time to look for her girlfriend among five-hundred scared, dying passengers.

_You can't find her if you're dead._

"Where is Beau?" Cat asked after a couple of minutes of silence.

Luke sighed loudly before responding, "Do you ever shut up?"

"Where is he?" She asked again.

"I don't know! Alright? He was with me when I found…when I found my brother. By the time that happened the ship was already half-way into this fucking, shit-ass freezing water. I guess he slipped into it or maybe he just jumped. I don't know"

His voice seemed to crack at the end of the explanation and she decided not to push the matter anymore. At least she and Sam had stayed together until the ship disappeared into the depths of the ocean, her hands gripping hers tightly.

"James? Daniel?" The twin asked, guessing that maintaining a conversation with the annoying tiny girl was better than focusing on the dying screams of the people around.

"I'm sorry," Cat replied, after seconds of silence Luke met with impatience.

Another pause.

"What happened to them?"

"We lost James while we were all the way down in second class…Trying to save my little brother"

Luke huffed in mockery but let the redhead continue.

"Daniel got shot by Alan, the crazy shit-head that used to be my therapist"

The twin was nothing else but amused by the vulgar language he had never heard the girl use, but could not help continue arguing, "It's kinda funny, really. How someone as tiny and apparently harmless as you ends up being a huge pain in the ass for some people"

"How dare you?!"

"Don't act like you are all innocent! It is because of you that James is dead, because of that little-shit, brother of yours. It is because of you that Daniel is dead, fucking crazy ass-shit head therapist of yours. It is because of you that Beau is dead; he made us all swear that we were going to get you and your girlfriend safe no matter the cost, and that asshole always took stupid promises serious. And it is because of you that my brother is dead, he was stupid enough to fall in love with you and help you when we could have just walked away!"

Luke finished, breathing heavily and digging his nails into his own flesh. And suddenly, the boy began to weep. Loudly, helplessly, matching the cries of the condemned passengers still floating in the freezing water.

And when Cat reached to hold his hand delicately, he didn't flinch.

* * *

><p>The boats had appeared out of nowhere, a simple lamp lighting up the darkness surrounding them. The pair laid on their backs, hands still gripping desperately into each other, in a way of support and company. From time to time the one of the shook the other's hand slightly just to make sure they were still alive.<p>

And they were. Their rescuers took them into the boat and sailed. They were the last ones alive, or so the captain of the tiny boat assured. There were other four people were in the life-boat, trembling and wrapped in blankets. Two of them were apparently sleeping, their faces covered. Soon, the pair's faces were also covered by blankets and they understood why.

The Carpathia arrived a few hours after the disaster and started its journey back to safety. Cat and Luke were on first class, much to Cat's displeasure. In the positive side, her Nona might find her there, but she was afraid her mom was able to do so as well. How would she give them the news that her brother was dead?

Luke ventured to go and try to maybe find his brother, even though most of his hopes were lost. He'd seen him go into the depths of the ocean, pulled in by the suction of the ship, never to emerge. But perhaps Beau was still alive.

Cat had wanted to tag along but Luke prevented her from doing so. She knew it was not because he wanted to protect her; it was just the fact that he could not stand her still. He still blamed her for everything that had gone wrong.

_Hell, the way his stupid mind works he might even blame me for the iceberg hitting the ship,_ Cat thought,

She wished she could disobey; it was what Sam had taught her after all. But she'd not given her real name to the crew of the ship, to prevent her mother from finding her. But if seen, her mother would recognize her immediately. She could not leave her small room.

_I wish I could see Nona once again but I just can't face my mother. I can't face that kind of life again. Not after everything Sam and I went through._

Luke got back to their shared compartment late at night, looking tired and frustrated.

"Any luck?"

Silence was the only answer she got.

* * *

><p>Back in New York they were received as heroes and the White Star Line company helped all the survivors with what they needed to…well, survive.<p>

With nowhere else to go, Cat and Luke decided to stay together. True, most of the times they could not stand each other but renting a place and paying for food were easier when they both would contribute. They barely exchanged words, except when needed.

Luke was working in a fabric and had a part-time, eventual job that Cat had gotten for him as a violin player in a local fancy restaurant, where Cat also worked part-time as a waitress.

It was something Cat enjoyed, actually. And she could not help but picture her life with Sam in that way, sharing a small apartment, working for what they needed and always saving part of their money to go on dates once a month. Or just cuddle up with her in bed after a long day at work, having breakfast with her every morning or even reluctantly agreeing to use their savings for Yankees tickets.

But no, she got stuck with _Luke_. Cranky, short-tempered, impatient Luke.

_"__I should've let you drown!"_

_"__Yes, you should have! I would rather be dead than spending my time with you!"_

_"__Leave then!"_

_"__No fucking way, this is my apartment as much as yours"_

_"__I am the one who works two jobs! I am the one who earns more money!"_

_"__But I am the one who is keeping you alive!"_

_"__And I am the one who is keeping you alive as well!"_

And it was true.

Because as much as they hated each other, the only people who they had left in this world were each other.

* * *

><p>Two years later and it had finally happened. Cat's nightmare had come to life and there was no way out of it. Her mother had found her and had begged her to go back home. After learning what had happened to her son she knew she only had her daughter left.<p>

Cat felt like the left-over. _She loves me only because she has no one else left to love in this world._

But Luke had been fired from the factory and they were short on cash, so she had to agree to go back to her mother's house. Her father was long gone, and Nona had died a year ago. She mourned her beloved grandmother for weeks, Luke surprisingly becoming understanding.

They weren't as rich as they used to be, but they still had money. She was the only rightful heir to her father's company, and she took on the burden for her family's sake.

After a year her mother grew ill and could not get out of bed. Although reluctantly, Cat would always stop by and pay her a visit in her bedroom. Luke had found a new job nearby, in no other than in the Valentine's railway company.

"He is a good boy," Her mother had told her the day before she passed away, "He is alone in this world, and so are you. You might not love him, not in the way I know you loved that girl…But after what happened; you both are the only ones who understand each other. The nightmares, the fear, the memories…I think you should marry that boy"

And so she did.

* * *

><p>Their marriage, if anyone could call it a marriage, was an acceptable one. They were no overly happy, as she knew she would have been with Sam. But it wasn't as horrifying as she thought marrying Luke would be.<p>

He'd become also a heir of the railway company after marrying her, but he never demanded to be the head of it. He let her control everything, and he was there only to help her out whenever she needed.

They were not lovers, they didn't share any romantic feelings towards each other, but they had become a good support for each other. Her mother had been right, surprisingly. Only they understood what the other one had gone through. They did not share the same bed, they had separate bedrooms. But whenever one of them would have a nightmare, the piercing screams of the lost souls in the water invading their sleep, they would always run to the other one for comfort.

And they would always find it.

Luke had even tried to help her find Sam, to no avail. After years and years of constant investigation, Cat had finally decided to give up.

She wept like she hadn't since that terrible night when she lost everything she'd ever loved. For weeks she was indisposed, and Luke took control of the company under her command. He did a decent job, and Cat decided to name him her associate.

The business started to rise from the ashes, and money started coming in abundance.

Winter was coming and Christmas decorations were adorning the house, the few servants they had humming carols as they made dinner and arranged the table. Luke was reading one of the station's reports in the company of one of their servants, who was helping him with the paperwork, when Cat came in rushing into the room and cried out.

"I want a baby!"

* * *

><p>Little Samuel Jaidon was five months old when they adopted him and brought him back home with them. They'd decided to rename him, since Luke did not think the name <em>Darwin Barnaby<em>, the name the orphanage had given him, was any good for him…or for any child for that matter.

"Samuel Jaidon Valentine Brooks," Cat beamed, caressing the soft cheek of her sleeping son delicately. Cat hadn't wanted to change her last name after she got married and now her son would carry her last name as well. _Hers_…the boy was hers and would always be, "My little Sam. My love"

* * *

><p>Little Sam was not so little anymore. He stood tall, dark-blond hair falling loosely on his forehead, almost clouding his vision. Now he was even taller than his father, who also stood by his side, supporting his weight on a worn-out cane.<p>

"Was mom happy?"

"Huh?" Luke asked in confusion, leaning into his son's side a bit to hear the questions better.

"I asked if mom was truly happy, father?!"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes," The old man said nodding, "Don't be so loud, kid. We're in a cemetery, not in a party full of hippies"

The boy sighed in annoyance but still waited for the answer his father had trouble formulating, "She was in fact, my boy, I believe. At least she was after she found you. Before that I'm not sure"

"Before…Before I went to bed she always told me about this knight in shiny armour that had saved her life in every possible way any person could be saved…I always thought it was you…I grew up thinking it was you…"

Luke couldn't help but cackle at the idea, "Oh no, son. I was everything but a valiant knight to your mother. Sure, I did save her once, but only because I was alone…afraid. Not because I was brave"

"She told me what you did, father. I think you were very brave, even if you don't believe so"

"Dammit, woman. You just couldn't keep anything to yourself, could you?" Luke addressed himself to the tombstone, pointing his cane at it.

Samuel couldn't help but laugh; even when his mother was gone his father still found a reason to bicker at her. It brought memories back to him, nice ones. His parents would always bicker at each other but would never stay mad for more than a day. Usually it was his father the one to apologize, reluctantly of course. But they always made up.

He always knew his parent's marriage was not a traditional one. They never kissed, they didn't share the bedroom and they were never affectionate with each other. Samuel grew up experiencing how it was to have two good friends as parents. And it made him glad that life had given him that opportunity.

But his mother was the most important thing to him in life, so he was not going to rest until he found out the reason of why, deep inside, his mother was never truly happy, "If you were not the knight in shiny armour, father…Then who was?"

"Ah…son…I am sure this era of hippie madness has prepared you for the crazy shit-ass story I am about to tell you about your mother. Brace yourself, woman," He pointed his cane at the tombstone again, "If you didn't tell this young man about Sam Puckett, then I will"

* * *

><p>It had taken him about a year of uninterrupted investigation, but he'd finally done it. He was now the head of the company, which was quickly developing into a more modern one, and he possessed all the money to hire the best detectives in the whole country.<p>

But finally, they'd found her.

And there she stood, leaning on a cane much like his father had done the year before. He was still living, but he'd decided to switch to a wheelchair.

_I'm old, I'm gonna die soon; let me do what I want, Samuel._

The woman didn't resemble much the Sam his father had described in his tale. She seemed much shorter; her skin was tanned, no longer pale white. Her eyes were still that green-color his mom had adored so much, but they now lacked will and glow. Her hair had grown long again, but the golden blonde had been replaced with a combination of grey and white.

Sam fell to her knees, and Samuel almost rushed to help her out, only to have his father stop him. The woman reached the tombstone with her hand and caressed his mother's name with a delicacy he had not seen in anyone but his own mom.

"I found you, my princess. I'm here. I'm finally here," Sam whispered and the sincerity in her voice shocked Samuel. Luke didn't seem surprised in the least.

"We were here all the time, Sam. You could have just come back, you know," His father spoke, making Sam turn to face him, her hand not leaving the tombstone. Samuel gave Sam an apologetic look for his father's rudeness.

"I thought she was dead, you idiot. Don't you think I looked for her everywhere? It isn't my fault that she lied about her name!"

"But I was there! My name was perfectly written!"

"And so what? Don't you think I noticed that? How could I have figured that you were going to be with her? You didn't care about her one bit!"

"I still cared for her more than you did for these last couple of years!"

"Oh, you little shit. You better stop right there or I'm gonna kick you out of your damn wheelchair and kick your ass in front of the boy!"

Samuel did not want to find himself in the middle of a senior fist-fight. They could die, for God's sake. So he decided to step in, "Where have you been all of these years, Sam?"

"You're the one who found me. What's your name boy"?

"Sam"

"Well, that's fortunate. Easy to remember"

"Where were you? What happened to you?"

"I remember being put into one of the boats but I don't remember the rest. I fell asleep. When I woke up I was somewhere in third class in the Carpathia. I tried looking for Cat but there was no one under her name. So I assumed the worst"

"But why not keep fighting for her? Why did you give up?"

"Why did she?"

Silence was exchanged between the three before Sam continued.

"I went back to Europe, found my way to England and stayed there for a few years. Working on the fields, helping local farmers who needed a hand. Then with the money I had I went to Ireland and started saving up again to hire someone to try and find Cat. I fine old man taught me how to make shoes and I helped him in his little fabric until he passed,"

"I had enough money by then to pay a decent detective, but I was so desperate that my judgment failed me. They told me they'd found her and paid a redheaded girl to pretend it was Cat. I knew it was a trick right the way, of course. But those dick-heads were long gone, along with my savings"

"I'm sorry," Samuel mumbled but she continued, paying him no mind.

"I decided to stay there, as you may know since that's where your detective found me. I just couldn't do it anymore. I had no money, no family, no friends, no job,"

"What made you keep going, then?"

"The stupid idea that maybe, just maybe, one day I was going to find her again"

"But you did, you idiot," Luke spoke from behind, shattering the moment. Samuel sighed deeply in annoyance.

"Yes, but I'm just a tiny bit late, don't you think?"

"It doesn't matter," Samuel said, "She was happy, Sam. As happy as she could be while having to deal with my father over here,"

"Hey! Watch it, boy"

"She always thought about you, you know. Before I went to bed she would always tell me these stories about a princess and her blond knight in shiny armour who saved the princess from beasts and dragons. She always loved you"

"You were hers and she was yours, Sam," Luke stated, "As cheesy as that sounds. I think I'm getting more cavities out of that line"

"My mother always waited for you, she never lost hope, and she never forgot about you. And she's still waiting. She'll be waiting for you for eternity if she must"

"Yes…I bet she will"

_Caterina Valentina Butera_

_1895 – 1969_

_Beloved mother, grandmother, friend, associate and boss._

_She is home, traveling back to the stars. _


End file.
